It isn't officially Sicilian, but the idea came from a Sicilian version of Lasagna that we got from one of our trips to the island.

Recipes vary from region to region in Italy and even with those regions, they can vary from province to province. This lasagna recipe came from the Province of Trapani on the eastern side of the island.

It didn't contain tomato sauce, no meat, and plenty of spinach and a variety of cheeses. So, we took this Sicilian version on that famous dish and married it with a very famous American dish with a couple of twists.

Every time I've made this dish for people, it goes in minutes with no leftovers. It's easy and delicious, so give it a try!

You'll need short rigatoni, ricotta cheese, spinach, a 4-cheese mix of provolone, parmesan, fontina & asiago.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Sautee a bag of fresh spinach in a tbsp. of olive oil. You can also use 1 small box of frozen chopped spinach.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Set cooked spinach aside.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Cook one full box of pasta one minute past al dente as indicated on the instructions on the box.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Reserve a half cup of pasta water for later.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Use a tbsp of olive oil to grease a baking pan.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Pour in cooked pasta.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Add cooked spinach.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Spoon in contents of one 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Pour on 4-cheese mix.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Pour in the half cup of reserved pasta water, salt to taste and mix thoroughly.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Sprinkle the top of the pasta casserole with grated parmesan cheese.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Then sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of the pasta.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Preheat over at 350 degrees.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

Bake for 45 minutes.

Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media
Dennis Malloy / Townsquare Media

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